


Safe

by alldaydream



Category: Schitt's Creek
Genre: Established Relationship, Hospitalization, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, but David is big mad, dont worry Alexis helps, everyone is okay, fractured arm, never trust a ladder from Roland Schitt, set somewhere in between season 4 and 5
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-02
Updated: 2021-03-02
Packaged: 2021-03-13 20:28:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,098
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29781654
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/alldaydream/pseuds/alldaydream
Summary: The first time Patrick realizes he isn’t living just for himself anymore.
Relationships: Patrick Brewer & Alexis Rose, Patrick Brewer/David Rose
Comments: 46
Kudos: 254





	Safe

**Author's Note:**

> Not me knocking out all my shorter wips just to ignore the multi-chapter ones 😂
> 
> Sometimes you just gotta write a hurt/comfort thing to get you through the day lol
> 
> not beta-ed, any mistakes are all my own as per usual

Patrick didn’t think it was a big deal. He’s had a concussion, broken his leg in 3 places, and has had more stitches than he can count from various accidents since he was a kid. It kind of just came with the territory of being in a sports friendly family. So a fractured left arm wasn’t the end of the world for him.

He’s not _thrilled_ by _how_ he fractured his arm, once again cursing himself for trusting Roland and his rickety ladder. But David had been complaining about the missing ‘a’ on Apothecary after it was knocked off during the storm last week and there was no need to call someone in to fix it when he was perfectly capable of doing it _if he just had a proper ladder_.

_"Bob asked me how the 'Apothecry' was doing, as if that were an actual joke. And it didn't help that Ray laughed too. I mean, how low is their standard for comedy?"_

His neck is still a little stiff from how he fell onto the pavement, having enough of a reaction to make sure his head didn’t smash into the concrete. And really a small fracture is a scrape in comparison to the summer when he dislocated his shoulder after diving a little bit too enthusiastically at home plate when he was 15.

Patrick takes another deep breath through his nose and tries to relax against the stiff pillows of his hospital bed. He’s not happy about being kept here for so long. He has the aftercare routine for broken bones memorized. There’s really no need to prolong his exit. At this point all he wants is a shower, some food and his bed, all with the assistance of his boyfriend. His mouth tugs upwards as he thinks about David helping him with his showers for the next couple of weeks while his arm is in its cast, imagining soapy hands helping to wash his hair with many wet kisses.

He taps the fingers of his uninjured arm against his thigh, reciting the multiplication table in his head to pass the time when the door to his room opens and said boyfriend is in the doorway with an odd look on his face.

David hadn’t been there when he fell off the ladder, about two hours away with Alexis on a vendor run that always gave them issues with their phone service. He knew David wouldn’t see the clumsy text he sent him on the way to the hospital until after he was at least done with his x-ray.

 _“He’s going to kill you,”_ Stevie said to him as she drove them in her car _. “I suggest prolonging your visit there for as long as you can for your protection.”_

Patrick had chuckled at her, wincing at the pain in his arm and waved away her comment. He’s quickly realizing he should have taken her seriously based on the fact that David is looking at him as if he’s a ghost.

“Uh, hi?” Patrick says tentatively.

David’s jaw clenches, which is very sexy by nature, but his entire body is tense and he’s too far and he would like his boyfriend to be just a little bit closer so that he can get a kiss after a very stressful day.

“Stevie says you fell,” David says flatly. “Because you tried fixing the sign after I very vehemently expressed that we wait for Ronnie to send someone to do it for us.”

“It just needed to be hammered back in,” Patrick replies, furrowing his eyebrows together. “An easy job that did not require someone being called.”

“And now here we are,” David says gesturing around the room and Patrick feels frustration tickling underneath his skin. “Was anyone even footing the ladder?”

“Roland said he would keep an eye out, but he assured me his ladder was fine-”

“You trusted a ladder given to you by Roland?” David asks wildly.

“It’s not a big deal!” Patrick exclaims. “It’s just a fractured arm, one of many times I’ve gotten hurt, one of the many times I will in the future. You’re overreacting.”

And what he just said obviously upsets David even more as he watches his face harden. David straightens up and looks away from Patrick, which he really doesn’t like.

“I’m going to go ask when we can take you home,” David says evenly, not looking at Patrick. He turns and leaves the room, shutting the door gently behind him.

Patrick leans back onto the bed, staring at the door confused. He knew David would be upset, but this feels different from what he was expecting.

And he doesn't like the fact that David seems convinced he would have injured himself regardless of who's ladder he used. It was an easy, five minute job that anyone could have done. He's a capable guy, always the 'reliable one'. And he wants David to always rely on him.

Patrick stews in bed for a few minutes before the door cracks open again and Alexis peaks her head in.

“Hi,” she says happily and makes her way in. “I have been asked to watch over you to make sure you don’t like further injure yourself because of your proclivity to prove a point.”

Patrick feels annoyance lick up the back of his neck. “I don’t need to be babysat, Alexis.”

“Oh I know,” she says waving her hand. “But it was an excuse to get away from David because he is being like _so_ extra about this.”

Patrick huffs out a breath. “He is being slightly unreasonable, isn’t he?”

“Uh, yeah,” Alexis says sitting down on the chair next to his bed. “He always gets so wound up about any little thing. Like, doesn't he realize that we all have to live and that accidents happen?"

"Yes," Patrick says, agreeing with her. "Exactly! If there's something I can do, I'm going to do it."

"Totally," Alexis says nodding her head. "There's no reason for him to be mad about it. Like this one time he picked me up from the hospital after I had to get stitches for smashing through the window of a Neiman’s during a robbery. He like wouldn’t talk to me the entire time like a toddler,” she says, flipping her hair over her shoulder.

Patrick just blinks at her. “Uh-”

“Or this one time I got into this like tiny fender bender in San Francisco when I was fifteen which he still thinks is my fault, but you try driving down Lombard Street while fixing your lipstick,” she continues on casually.

“Well, that does sound dangerous-”

“And it’s not like he hasn’t done stupid things either. Like how he drove to get here just now. For such an uptight driver, he had no problem going 30 over the speed limit the minute he found out his boyfriend was in the hospital.”

“He did WHAT?” Patrick cries out. “He could have gotten into an accident!”

“Mhm, yeah, I know right? Sometimes he just forgets that he has people around him that care about him a lot and will get upset if he gets hurt,” Alexis says nonchalantly, examining her nails trying to hide the smile on her face.

Patricks looks at her for a moment before thunking his head back onto the bed. “Dammit.”

“Yup,” Alexis says popping the ‘p’. “You should have seen him when he got your little text. He like went nonverbal and sweaty. And don’t worry, the minute I felt that he was pushing the speed limit, I made him pull over and drove us here.”

“Thank you, Alexis,” Patrick murmurs, still staring up at the ceiling. “For that and for making me realize that I’m an idiot.”

“You’re welcome,” she says sweetly. “Ok, I’m going to go find Stevie to ask her for a dollar. I saw some yummy gum in the vending machine.”

She stands up and boops Patrick lightly on the nose. “I’m glad you’re okay.”

“Thanks,” Patrick says, watching her walk to the door. “Alexis?”

“Hm?” She asks, turning back around.

“I’m glad you’re okay too,” he says and smiles at her messy wink.

Patrick goes back to staring up at the ceiling, Alexis' words are bouncing around in his head so much he's beginning to suspect that he might actually be a little concussed. Or he can't grapple with the fact that he hurt David's feelings and his body is reacting badly because hurting David should never happen. He'd rather be concussed.

He hadn’t considered everything from David’s side. He’s just so used to all the scrapes and bruises and casts and stitches that he forgets that he’s not the clumsy 17 year old boy who didn’t mind a rough game of hockey or jumping off of ledges during hikes through the woods.

He's a man with a business and a devoted partner who loves him, and the thought of losing that because he didn't think it was important to be careful makes something unpleasant roll in his stomach.

And this isn’t the first time he’s gotten hurt with David around. A couple of months ago he came home with a badly bruised shoulder after being hit with a baseball during a pickup game that left him sore for days. It was an angry shade of red and purple that made him groan every time he moved it. But David sat him down on his bed and gently rubbed ointment on it, trailing his shoulders with soft kisses. And what Patrick didn’t realize then that he does now is how quiet David was and how he held him just a little bit tighter as the bruising slowly went away.

He can't stop himself from climbing ladders, diving for bases, or climbing up mountains. But he can be more careful. He can be safe, for David. 

His body isn’t just his anymore. He’s part of a team, a family. A family with David.

He swings his legs off the bed, determined to find David to apologize to him, to tell him he gets it, but his boyfriend beats him to it and comes back into the room, still tense and rigid.

“A nurse will be here soon with your discharge papers,” David says. “I have the paper with your aftercare instructions. You will be relegated to the backroom at the store until your check up in two weeks,” David says firmly, no room for discussion.

Patrick nods his head. “Of course, David,” he says, agreeing with him.

David looks at him wearily, as if he expected Patrick to fight back. Patrick sighs and stands up from the bed. “David, I’m sorry.”

“It’s fine,” David says stiffly. “I overreacted.”

“No, no you didn’t,” Patrick says shaking his head. “You reacted in a way any sane person would when they found out their partner was being reckless. I’m sorry,” Patrick says, walking towards him tentatively. “If it had been you,” Patrick says, but shakes his head because he doesn’t like the image of David in a hospital bed. “David I don't know what I would do.”

David crosses his arms and looks away, his bottom lip wobbling a little and Patrick can’t not be touching this man anymore.

“Hey, hey, come here,” Patrick says gently, using his good hand to pull David towards him. “I’m sorry. I just wanted to do something for you because I know the sign was bothering you.”

“I know,” David mumbles out. “And I know I won’t be able to stop you from doing other nice things for me even at the risk of losing a limb, just,” David says with a shuddering breath. “Be more careful, please?”

“Yeah, of course,” Patrick says, kissing the side of his neck. “I promise. I’m sorry for scaring you.”

David nods against his head and drops a kiss onto Patrick’s forehead. “I like you, in case you weren’t aware, and I would like to keep you around for as long as I can.”

Patrick runs his hand down David’s back, resting his head against his shoulder, knowing now that he doesn’t have just himself to live for.

Patrick closes his eyes and tries to curl himself around David tighter, but the pain in his left arm prevents him from pressing himself too close, hating how he can only have one arm around David’s waist.

And Patrick realizes in that moment that maybe the reason why fracturing his arm wasn’t that big of a deal in the past is because he never had a David he wanted to wrap his arms around.


End file.
